"...This is way harder than I thought." Grayton sighed as he erased yet another set of calculations. When he started his endeavor, he quickly discovered that a complete potion was not made of one single value but a combination of values from different categories. "Which means my theory wasn't correct, but it wasn't entirely wrong either."
40 minutes of brainstorming and experimentation later, he finally found out that there were 4 values; what kind of ingredients affected these values was a separate matter entirely. Only after wasting a lot of ingredients in experiments did he figure out that two of the values were affected by organic ingredients like plants and animals, while another was affected by inorganic materials like rocks, crystals, and various metals. He hit a dead end on what the final value was, though.
10 minutes later, Grayton discovered his worst obstacle yet: he found out that basic chemistry rules applied to potion making as well. This was a problem because it meant that the complexity of his research took a huge jump, and he could not complete his theorem without a lot of experimentation.
This treehouse didn't have enough ingredients for large-scale, repeated experiments. On top of that, even if he stole the notes and ran, he wouldn't be able to experiment on his own either, because, as he quickly found out, half of the ingredients in the notes either consisted of plants or animal parts that have never been documented in any mundane archives or obscure crystals that came from God knows where.
"But that's not even the worst part." Grayton frowned, biting the inside of his lip. "The most frustrating part of this is that this whole thing proves that there's a science behind potion making. But I simply do not have the resources to find out!"
Grayton sat down on the broken chair he was once bound to. "She'll be here any moment now. What to do, what to do..."
Suddenly, a brilliant idea appeared in Grayton's head. "Wait... that might just work!"
He rose to his feet and made his way toward the cauldron once more. His knowledge may be incomplete, but he knew just enough to create a very limited handful of potions using the missing ingredients. One of these potions was the potion of enthrallment. Since he was just missing one ingredient, it was simple enough to brute-force the values without the proper understanding.
"With this, I'll bluff my way into making her think I've already invented some groundbreaking technique and use it as a bargaining chip to get her to tell me more about the world of magic." Grayton grinned as he prepared the needed ingredients. "Well, it's not a complete bluff; it'll be a reality given enough time."
Once he was done tossing the first batch of ingredients, he grabbed a nearby pen and started writing a message in huge letters on the witch's desk, wearing a cheeky grin. "Oh, this'll be good..."
With a plan in mind, Grayton proceeded to brew the potion, perfectly recreating the steps the witch before him had taken. As he did, he prayed in his mind that she wouldn't return in the middle of this crucial step.
After 15 tense, stress-filled minutes, Grayton finally finished the potion, wiping the sweat from his brow as he stared at his concoction with pride. He immediately looked out of the window and saw two flying silhouettes approaching the tree house in the distance.
"Perfect timing..." Grayton thought as he quickly ducked beside the window. Everything was going as planned, but he felt his heart start to beat faster and faster as the riskiest stage approached, and he felt damp sweat on his back. "Looks like she brought a friend; I'll need to be careful."
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Keyla Louvencra, 1 hour ago
"That stupid boy..." Keyla frowned as she sped through the air. The wind pushed back her long bangs, revealing a set of colorless brown eyes with a single dim light-purple dot on each of her pupils. In a way, she was grateful for the boy's disruptive behavior; at the beginning, Keyla had many doubts about taking away someone's mind and freedom, but the boy's irritating and vexing behavior had helped her complete the mental gymnastics needed to justify enthrallment. Still, deep inside, she felt that there was something wrong with this whole tradition.
"Does that guy even understand the severity of his situation?"
She flew through the air under the cover of the dark sky and finally landed in a seemingly inconspicuous marshland. There, the witch walked in front of a dead tree trunk that had a mandala-shaped symbol scratched into it. She ran her fingers over the mark as she started to chant.
"O' Lord of the Forest, may your everglades forever be the lushest." Keyla chanted, her words reverberating with a mystical power. She paused for a moment to take a breath before carefully proceeding. "Let me pierce through this mirage's weakness; show me their secrets!"
As soon as Keyla stopped talking, folds started to appear on the rotten bark, and it ripped in two, parting away like curtains, revealing an entrance to a path on the other side, which she gladly stepped into. The witch took a deep breath as she heard the "curtains" close behind her. In front of her was a thin dirt path devoid of any life except for the occasional patch of grass or mushrooms.
On each side of the path was an ocean of green, murky water stretching infinitely into the darkness. The sky above was but a pitch-black canvas devoid of any stars; there was no light source in this realm other than the metal lamps that lined the dirt path. This place was known as "Nature's Keep" by the witches and was also where the witch's equivalent of a grocery store was located.
It is said that the first witch Hagrid received partial ownership of this realm as a token of friendship from the Lord of the Forest itself, which she used along with her own magic to shape the place into some sort of safekeep for witches around the world.
"Or so it is written..." Keyla thought as she walked. In the distance, she saw the path widen rapidly into a town filled with arrays of bright lights. "I'll take my time; I won't hurry for that idiot."
The young witch entered the town, her legs stepping with more certainty and ease once she felt the ground change from wet dirt to stone bricks. The town had the appearance of a European medieval city where time didn't seem to move. She navigated through the city's eerily quiet atmosphere, only spotting a handful of other witches throughout her journey, despite this place being a sanctuary for witches around the world. Such is the vastness of this city.
"This city cannot change; it can only expand." Keyla recalled her memories of learning about this place for the first time. Any damage or alteration made to the landscape or antique buildings would simply deteriorate and return to their previous state, given enough time. "To this day, no one really knows how the first witch managed to do this..."
After some time of walking, Keyla reached one of the many marketplaces. This area was livelier than the other parts of the city; witches and thralls could be seen occasionally passing by or flying through the dark sky on brooms. She continued to walk until she reached a certain shop building. A cursory glance at the sign in front of the wooden building revealed a list of languages the shopkeeper could speak. Seeing English among the list, Keyla turned to enter the shop.
The next twenty minutes were spent meticulously browsing through the shop's stock, which ended up with her buying more herbs and catalysts than necessary due to a limited-time sale. Satisfied with her purchase, she exited the store and found a familiar face.
"Keyla?" Miranda gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. "You should've told me you were in Nature's Keep as well!"
"O-oh, I just got here." Keyla explained. "What brings you here, anyway?"
"Oh, nothing really. I was just helping my sister pick out her first charm a few blocks away from here." Miranda answered as she brushed her silky hair back with her hands. "It was such a bore, and God, was she so picky! So I just snuck away, hee-hee!"
"I see..." Keyla muttered in response, making her way back to the path with Miranda following behind her.
"Well, enough about that." Miranda walked with a pep in her step, swaying her hands widely. Somehow, it looked more like a methodical, practiced stance than a natural expression of enthusiasm. "How did it go with the boy?"
"Oh..." Keyla rubbed the side of her arm. "He's at home, still tied to a chair."
"Ah, still waiting for the potion to take effect?"
"N-no." She shook her head meekly. "I... messed up the potion and need to start over."
"Haha! Of course, that clumsiness is so like you!" Keyla laughed. "Poor guy, having to wait like that. Well, in any case, you made sure he couldn't escape, right?
Keyla nodded.
"Good! Imagine if you forgot to tie him up with Aramant chains and he escaped!" Miranda giggled. "We'd be totally screwed if that actually happened."
"...A-aramant?" Keyla suddenly stopped walking and turned to face Miranda.
"Hmm?" Miranda tilted her head, perplexed by her friend's reaction, before her expression slowly turned to one of disbelief when she realized . "You... Didn't?"
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"..."
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Present
"You are such an idiot!" Miranda shouted as the two of them sped through the skies, pausing between every word for dramatic effect. "You're literally gonna get both of us killed! I always knew you were clumsy, but I never thought you were this incompetent!"
Finding herself unable to refute in any way, Keyla focused more on flying as fast as she could, both to reach her house faster and to escape her friend's endless nagging.
Meanwhile, Grayton was in front of the cauldron, carefully scooping out the newly made potion into a glass vial and placing it on the desk, next to his written note. He took a deep breath as he heard the loud whoosh that indicated the two witches' entrance.
"The show begins." Grayton straightened his back and wiped the sweat off his brow before turning towards the witches. "Let's see how much I can piss them off before I escape."
"H-he's still here?" Miranda stared at Grayton, completely dumbfounded. "We're saved! Saved by his stupidity!"
"Y'know, it's very rude to talk about someone in third person while they're in front of you." Grayton smiled as he slowly backed into a door leading outside of the room.
In response, Miranda snapped her fingers, and in an instant, the door disappeared and was replaced by a plain, empty wall. She then put her hands on her hips and smirked smugly. "You're not going anywhere."
"Thought so," Grayton thought. Even before the witches came, he already knew that the chances of him escaping without revealing his portal ability were close to zero. So he settled for the next best thing.
"Wonderful display!" Grayton clapped. "But did you really think something like this can stop me?"
His eyes beamed with excitement, which added more credibility to his act. Despite the dire situation, the thrill of the discovery and the joy of having to act so unlike his usual self completely entranced him. He smiled as adrenaline continued to flood through his veins. In that moment, Grayton felt a rush like nothing he ever felt before.
"Is this guy crazy or something?" Miranda raised an eyebrow, wearing an amused expression. She turned to look at Keyla and saw from her expression that she was thinking the same thing. "You should've ran while you still could."
"On the contrary, I believe I still very much can." Grayton taunted. Throughout this tense conversation, he waved his arms around in a dramatic fashion in an attempt to keep the two girls' attention away from the ground under him. While he talked, he kept a close eye on the witches, ready to portal out once he saw any indication of them trying to use magic. "But before I go, would you mind telling me your name?"
"If you really think these pitiful jokes are going to prevent your inevitable demise, you must be the biggest imbecile I've met." Miranda retorted, wearing a disparaging smile.
"Ah, I see now. I can't get under their skin at all as it is." Grayton thought, not letting his disappointment show on his face. "To them, I'm like a pitiful ant by their feet; they won't take anything I say seriously... Let's change that."
"Inevitable demise? Me? Now that's a pitiful joke if I've ever heard one!" Grayton sneered.
"Keep yapping," Miranda said before turning to Keyla. "C'mon, what are you waiting for? Knock him out; I'll make sure he won't touch you."
Keyla jolted at the sudden command, but quickly recovered. Soon after, Grayton watched as she opened up her palm and appeared to evoke some sort of green fairylike creature on her hand. He had a feeling he didn't want to wait around to see what it did.
"Shame," Grayton interrupted, putting one hand on his chest and lowering himself to a bow. "I've left you two gifts on your desk. May we meet again, next time."
As soon as he finished his sentence, he sank into a portal under his feet, which led to the plot of land in front of the treehouse. Hopping out of the portal, he turned to look at the open window and waited for the two witches to notice his presence outside.
"If I can't hide my portals from them completely, then I'll just make them think that it has a very short range." Grayton thought as he brushed his hair back with his fingers. He suddenly found himself snickering at the situation. "Now this is fun! I can't celebrate yet, though; the riskiest part is not over yet."
After a few moments, Grayton finally spotted the two witches checking the window. He watched as they started yelling and pointing at him, taking that as a signal to start sprinting toward the city as fast as he could. As he ran, he conjured another portal in front of him and ran straight into it. A relieved expression appeared on his face as he exited around 10 meters from his starting position.
"Good, that's my second one." Grayton assured himself as he ran. "I just need to keep the distance consistent."
He repeated this pattern of running into portals that jumped him 10 meters forward 2 more times, and by then, he was already on city grounds. Despite that, he didn't stop. He kept running and running without knowing exactly why. Grayton continued to run through alleyways and streets like a mad dog until he couldn't anymore. He finally stopped to catch his breath on an empty street.
"Gah, that's going to hurt tomorrow." Grayton thought as he bent down to grab his thigh, panting. He straightened up and found his hands shaking in front of him. "I almost died... Again." The thought of being turned into a mindless thrall, a servant, for the rest of his life was terrifying, perhaps even more so than actual death.
"I guess I was more scared than I thought." He looked behind him and saw just how far he had run from the plot of land. "That's lame... But I suppose that just means I'm sane."
Grayton then spent a few minutes recollecting himself before starting his journey back home.
"I should've just escaped before she came back." Grayton reflected as he walked. "My rule of only doing things when I can afford to should apply to other affairs as well, not just good deeds... But hey!"
Grayton reached into a pocket inside his trenchcoat, pulling out a few rolls of paper containing stolen notes. "My gamble paid off this time; I just need to make sure they don't find me, and my plan will be complete."
Just as Grayton finished the thought, he caught a glimpse of movement above a streetlight. "No..."
Looking up, he saw the two witches sitting on brooms. Keyla already had the green creature primed on her hand, and the other one appeared to be sneering.
"You thought you could get away from us?" The sneering witch yelled before cackling.
"No, no, no!" Grayton's eyes widened upon seeing them. Contrary to his previous cocky demeanor, fear clearly overtook him as he turned away and started to run again. But this time, he knew he wouldn't be able to make it as far.
"Think, think! There must be something I can do!" Grayton thought as he ran. He was exhausted, and his legs felt like jelly hitting the hard concrete. He was getting slower and slower with every passing step. Grayton took a quick look behind him to see the green creature chasing him. Looking closer, it looked more like a green insect with disproportionately large white wings. It had a long, curved stinger between its beady eyes that pointed towards his jugular.
"Judging by what she said, that thing will put me to sleep again if I let it inject me with that stinger. But what-" Whatever little hope Grayton had of escaping was quickly crushed when Grayton took a turn into an alleyway only to meet a dead end up ahead. "Fuck!"
"Well, well, looks like this is where your little escapade ends." The blue-haired witch gloated behind him. "To be honest, I'm impressed. You somehow managed to learn how to make a perfect potion with lacking ingredients within an hour. You even wrote down your number on the desk! What were you expecting? Us to come calling, begging you to tell us how you did it? Was that your plan?"
Grayton clenched his fists, unable to refute her taunts. His plans had ultimately failed, there was no denying that. All he could do was pray that whatever came next wouldn't be too painful.
"Only because of their bullshit magic..." Grayton gritted his teeth. "They must've put some sort of tracker on me or something."
"Now, you'll tell us how exactly you made that potion, okay?" Miranda cooed, tilting her head. Her artificially sweet voice and her mocking words combined to form the most insulting sentences known to man.
"And why exactly would I do that?" Grayton gave out a mirthless laugh, not willing to part with his final bargaining chip. If he had to die tonight, then he would do so while making things as hard as he could for them.
"Shatter."
The pink witch chanted; the petals on her pupils glowed a brighter pink as she spoke, and her tone reverted to that of her natural baritone voice. He felt a wave of power emanate from her voice before he noticed a slight pain in his left hand. At first, it was just a sting, like that of a static shock. But it quickly got sharper and sharper and evolved into the worst pain he had ever felt.
Grayton fell to his knees and roared in pain, clutching his arm. It felt like someone was trying to sever his hand with a screwdriver, digging deeper into his flesh at a painfully slow pace. His tears fell to the ground as he spasmed on the floor. The only thing he could hear aside from his own screams was the cackling of the wicked witch.
"Scream all you want, no one will hear it!"
The pain was so horrendous that he couldn't even think. Despite gripping his plightful arm as tight as he could, the sheer pain alone could have convinced him that it was already severed. He sat there, clenching every muscle in his body, in a desperate attempt to stave off the pain before it abruptly stopped.
Grayton took a few shaky breaths as he raised his head from the floor to look at his torturer. His left arm went limp despite lacking any signs of damage.
"Ah~ That's a nice expression you have there." Miranda commented. "So, are you willing to tell us now? Or perhaps you want me to 'treat' your other arm as well?"
"...Go to hell." Grayton spat through gritted teeth, forcing a pained and spiteful smile as one last act of defiance.
"Tch, still acting tough." Miranda rolled her eyes before her expression changed into one of glee and enthusiasm. "Well, let's see how long you can keep that up!"
She outstretched her arm and pointed at Grayton's right arm before opening her mouth. "Sha-"
However, she suddenly stopped herself and looked around anxiously, leaving both Grayton and Keyla puzzled. Right after this perplexing display, a dark and shadowy miasma started to spill out from the nearby gutters and cracks in the walls into the ground. It slowly flowed to a spot behind Grayton, seemingly attempting to combine into some sort of entity.
"You... what did you do?" Miranda spoke angrily as she backed away from Grayton and pulled Keyla with her. Her voice was now completely devoid of its usual saccharine demeanor and was instead grave and serious. She almost sounded scared.
"Nothing?" Grayton was just as confused. Actually, he was starting to feel scared of whatever was happening behind him. "If whatever this is shook her up that much, just what is it?"
"M-miranda? Why-"
"Fool! Do you not see- no, feel all of this death energy?" Miranda lashed out as she yanked her friend out of the alleyway before turning to face Grayton one last time. "Don't think you've won, boy. Whatever you just did will be the end of you as well!" She yelled, hopping on her broom. And with that, the two witches disappeared into the sky.
"I'm tired... I don't want to think anymore." Grayton stayed kneeling on the ground, making no attempt to get up. His left hand was still paralyzed, and he doubted he could run anytime soon. And so he sat there, letting the miasma build up behind him until it formed some sort of black, inky humanoid figure.
The mysterious silhouette seemed to be made of some sort of black, viscous liquid, constantly flowing in currents throughout their body. The figure conjured a mask with 4 slanted eye holes that looked like it was made out of a bone-like material. Once he put the mask on, a glowing blue flaming orb appeared on each of its eye holes, supposedly acting as the figure's eyes.
"Howdy," The figure greeted him in a gentle voice that betrayed their ominous entrance. "Looks like them witches did a real number on ya, didn't they?"
"..." Grayton didn't respond and instead simply continued to stare at the ground in front of him, still in a daze because of the pain.
"Well, the name's Charles." The figure continued his self-introduction. "Pleased to meet you."